The evening world., 1887-12-02

Man In Custody Suspected OF the Decd.
A highway robbery so bold that recalls the
assault on Miss sherwood in the Fourth ave-
nue. tunnel four years ago, and the facts of
which, as in that earlier case, were suppressed
by Police Capt. Ryan, was perpetrated in the
railroad cut at the Thirty fourth street ferry
last Saturday night. The victim was Miss
Bruce Terrence, the daughter of Robert
Terrence, q builder Of Clarenceville, l.. l.,
and a deacon in the Richmond Hill Congre-
gational Church.
Miss Bruce is herself an active member of
the church and teaches o class in the Sunday
school. BY marriage she is q relative of
Police Capt. Eakins, Of the Leonard street
squad. She is employed as q cashier in
Alexander's shoe store at Sixth avenue and
Twenty third street.
Saturdays the store is kept open later than
usual, and thus it happened that at 9.46
O'Clock on the night of the robbery she was
riding towards the Thirty-fourth street ferry
in one of the bob-tail cars Of the Twenty
| third street line that cut through the block
from First avenue to the ferry. There were
besides her in the car q man and woman.
The cut is dark and lonesome and the adj
Joining streets are the abode of about as bad
a gang of young toughs as there Is In this
city.
Miss Terrence sat near the end Of the car
as il entered the cut, holding her pocket
book in her hand. She had just bought a
money nlODs fS anS Tn a iit.i ShS @ 6ss R e a S g. w %Si ief e her
The lights on First avenue had barely dis
appeared when the door was jerked open and
n young man with q heavy black mustache
darted in, seized the pocketbook and tried to
Miss florence was taken by surprise. but
| she held on and resisted the thief.
Angered by her resistance, he shook her
roughly and dragged her out on the platform.
Here Miss Terrence found her voice and
screamed until it seemed as II she must be
heard at the ferry. But no help came. The
car went on with the driver calmly looking
back from the front platform and the one
male passenger in the car looking onin stupid
surprise.
As the car swung around the curve near
the ferry, the thief with a sudden jerk threw
Miss Terrence of the platform into the mud,
and tore the pocketbook from her grasp.
The fall and the shock partly stunned her,
but her blood was up and she reused herself
in time to seize the coat-tails of the robber as
he ran towards First avenue with his plumber.
She was dragged q step or two through the
Muddy and bedraggled from head to foot.
Miss Terrence arose and hurried after the
car, to find the male passenger standing on
the back platform holding the box containing
ueT ClOhk. IL = luQlkuhub ItpIOaCncb ne
replied only with the lame excuse that he
thought it was a friend who was hauling her
out of the car.
At the ferry Miss Terrence found her two
brothers waiting for her. They had not
heard her scream. Her appearance startled
them. Her dress and even her hat were COW
cred with mud. She had, however, received
no injury in the assault.
At Miss Torrence's requess O friend brought
the matter to the attention of Inspector
Steers on Monday last. Miss Torrence's de-
scription Of the robber is that of a young
man, with q phenomenally heavy mustache
on a very young face. She thinks that 1t was
The fellow wore a check suit and derby hat.
Capt. Ryan's precinct ia in Inspector Will
iams's district, and Inspector Steers handed
the case over to him but the two officials
are working together to catch the highway
man. Capt. Ryan being called upon to make
to-day that he had under arrest @ young
thief answering the description who is under
81. 500 bail ON q similar charge. In his pocket
was found a false mustache. The fellow Is
now in the Tombs. Strange to say, Capt.
Ryan had in no way communicated with Miss
Terrence up to this morning.
The Inspectors, upon receiving his report
this morning, summoned him to headquar-
tiers. and as the outcome of q private inter-
view, Miss Terrence was requested to come
to headquarters to identify, If possible, the
prisoner. Capt. Ryan was instructed here
after to put a policeman on duty, on the rail
road cut, at least on Saturday nights.
The prisoner is Joseph Higgins, aged nine
teen, of 1888 East Thirty fourth street. He is
charged with jumping. on a car in First
avenue and snatching the o%vercoat of Chris
topher Murray. In his pockets were found a
slung shot and a false mustache.